W. golf swings to 10th at James Madison

Over ten hours on the golf course culminated in a 10th place finish for Yale women’s golf this weekend against one of the most competitive fields of the season at the Bonnie Hoover Invitational, hosted by James Madison University.

The Bulldogs shot 946 (313-318-315) over three rounds: two on Saturday and one on Sunday. January Romero ’06 was the top finisher for the Elis, placing 10th individually, scoring an 11-over-par 227 (73-77-77). Cindy Shin ’07 scored 223, putting her in 23rd, while Jessica Shapiro ’06 and Lauren Ressler ’06 rounded out the Eli top five in 56th and 59th place, respectively.

“This was one of the most competitive fields this spring, but we shot our team goal,” Shapiro said. “The field was so strong that we’re not really disappointed.”

The Bulldogs played very consistently over the weekend, shooting no higher than 318 in the any of the three rounds, maintaining their form despite playing two long rounds on Saturday.

Yale was able to enjoy good weather conditions at the Lakeview Golf Club in Virginia on Saturday, but Sunday’s round was played in the wind and cold.

Since round three took place early in the morning, the teams were playing during the coldest part of the day.

The Bulldogs said no one on the team performed as spectacularly as they did at the William and Mary Invitational, where Romero grabbed the tournament title.

“This weekend I don’t feel that I played as well as I did at William and Mary,” Romero said, “In the final two rounds, I finished poorly on the final three or four holes. I was struggling with my putter. I putted like a blacksmith.”

When the Elis are not playing their best, the squad tries to keep its edge through inter-team competitions. For example, the Bulldogs may keep track which golfer had the fewest putts and who nailed the most drives. Head coach Mary Moan said the amount of talent on the team elevates competitiveness which in turn drives the Elis to become better golfers.

The Elis had to play this weekend’s tournament without the services of captain Stephanie Wei ’05, who was sidelined due to back pain which has also been affecting her legs.

“The muscles get extremely tight so it is very painful to walk,” Wei said, “I will hopefully be able to play at Ivies.”

Wei is receiving treatment for her leg this week to minimize the pain.

The Elis see action next at the Ivy League Championship tournament this coming weekend, which is slated to take place on Princeton’s home course in Trenton, New Jersey. The Tigers — Yale’s most formidable Ivy rival — finished in fourth at Bonnie Hoover, with a score of 920, six places ahead of the Bulldogs.

“[The Tigers] were pretty impressive, but we have the capability to play up to that level as well,” Shapiro said.

The Elis are aiming for a score of 305 per round this coming weekend which can be realized if each Bulldog is playing in top form. If the team’s season stats translate, Yale will be in good shape — the Bulldogs have nearly always met their team goal of shooting 315 for each round of 18 holes so far this spring.

“We will use this last week as best as we can to practice for what we might have had problems with over the weekend and hopefully all of us will be on top of our games for the tournament,” Romero said.